Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). A wireless network, for example a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) or Wi-Fi network may include an access point (AP) and a client device. The access point may be coupled to a network, such as the Internet, and enable the client device to communicate via the network (and/or communicate with other devices coupled to the access point).
Wi-Fi Direct, also referred to as Wi-Fi peer-to-peer (P2P), allows Wi-Fi enabled devices to directly connect with each other in an ad-hoc arrangement without a dedicated AP. Wi-Fi direct devices implement Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) to establish a secure wireless connection with minimal user intervention. WPS allows for the establishment of a secure connection by either a push button configuration (PBC) procedure, a Personal Identification Number (PIN) procedure, or a Near Field Communication (NFC) procedure. Utilizing a PBC procedure, users may establish a connection between two devices by pushing a designated button on each device within a predetermined time period.
Devices attempting to establish communication utilizing the PBC procedure may experience “overlap” when either device detects an additional device (i.e., an interfering device) attempting to use PBC during the negotiation period. In such instance, each device may enter a session overlap state where the devices decline to associate with any network using PBC for a designated time period (e.g., 120 seconds). As a result, multiple devices within range of each other in a congested environment may experience significant delays when concurrently attempting to use PBC to establish P2P connections.